Tempest Grant
Tempest was the daughter of Amber Grant and wife of King Athelmere of Jarrland. Early life Tempest was tall and lean, taking after her father, but in colouring resembled her mother, with blue-purple hair and copper-coloured eyes.http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17255627&postcount=9 She and her twin brother Jonas were born to Amber in 366 and had an initially fairly sheltered and happy upbringing. In 377 they travelled with Amber to Raaneka to watch the Raaneki Games. On the way, she became attached to her mammoth, which she named Lady Guinevere Chillingsworth of Farhampton the Third.http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17270412&postcount=25 In 381 she and Jonas travelled with Amber to the Grand Ball, where she met Athelmere Jarrow. After they danced together, he endeavoured to protect her from the fiery blasts which claimed many lives, though this may have been unnecessary bravado on his part. Both Tempest and Athelmere suffered a bereavement of sorts at the Ball, as Jonas was burned and crippled by the fire, while Athelmere's sister Eirwynn was killed. Amber agreed that Tempest could return to Jarrland and stay there for five years pending a more formal agreement if that still seemed appropriate at the end of the period. In Jarrland Tempest was the first person of high station to visit Jarrland from outside the Imperium and was given a lavish welcome. She soon became very popular with the people of the province, and with none moreso than Athelmere, who soon fell in love with her. Her nautical expertise meant her word was highly-regarded by those seeking to build up the navy, most notably Athelmere's uncle Willem of Clan Horwik. In 387 her marriage to Athelmere was agreed in the Jewelled Cities, and as a dowry AQUA constructed a new port at Horbeach which was to serve it well for fifty years. By 392 concern was growing that the couple remained childless, although their first son, Atheldynn, soon followed in 393. Around this time she was appointed First Lady of the Admiralty and a Lady in her own right, as the head of Clan Grant. The Jarrlanders were unaccustomed to the forthright culture of the Islanders and, although her popularity remained high, rumours began to spread that Tempest was unfaithful to her husband, especially following Prince Edwyrd's marriage to Dacari Devdano, about whom there were many documented scandals. In 497 a man named Janwyn Sarrey published a pamphlet alleging that Atheldynn was not Athelmere's son, and was arrested on charges of treason. King Alfwyr fought Sarrey in a trial by combat and killed him, but suffered serious wounds himself and was obliged to abdicate in favour of Athelmere. Following that incident, none dared publicly question Tempest's loyalty to her husband again, especially given Athelmere's notorious temper, though it is believed some remained suspicious. She was posthumously vindicated at the Fourth Grand Ball when descendants of all her children were blessed by the Lord of Fire as true-blooded Jarrows. As Queen Athelmere succeeded his uncle following his abdication and took the unprecedented step of crowning Tempest as Queen. She continued to sponsor naval exploration, most notably to the peninsula of Tempestia, which was named after her. She proved particularly popular in that region and was accepted by the native sylphids as their queen even before they officially joined the kingdom. A cult dedicated to her soon sprang up among the people there and remains popular. In 400 news reached the kingdom that many of Tempest's family had been murdered on the orders of Tupelo Cornus, who had taken the regency of AQUA for himself. Despite her own outrage, Tempest acted as a voice of reason in the royal family at the time, curtailing a foolish expedition by Willem Horwik to attack the islands, and restraining Athelmere from rash action. Tempest herself was widely recognised as the legitimate heir to AQUA, most notably in Jarrland and Raaneka, and some of her surviving family members travelled to the kingdom to live under her protection, including her young cousin Martin Grant-Tremblor. In 401 Tempest's last child Elwyr was born with a golden circle on his forehead, one which was interpreted in a number of ways including initially by Athelmere as a curse from Tupelo. It was nearly fifteen years before it was eventually revealed as a blessing from the Lord of Fire. Tempest was slightly dismayed by Athelmere's distance from their son and they had no further children, although they remained close as a couple. Tempest remained a key figure in the government and Athelmere's closest confidante for most of his reign, often serving as regent in his absence before the atheling, Alfmark, came of age. Later life In the late 420s Tempest travelled to Xianzhi Urbe where she spent a great deal of time with her daughter Ambryn, who, following three multiple births, one of which had nearly killed her, was struggling to raise so many children on her own. She returned to Jarrland to assist with preparations for the Third Grand Ball, and the formalisation of the new Kingdom of the Carmine Sea. She was able to reach Athelmere in time to see him on his deathbed during the Wars of the Mandate. In 441 her brother Jonas travelled to Jarrland to live with the family there, following the deaths of both Athelmere and Jonas's "partner", Shvedrishti. Tempest was a highly respected figure in government and popular with the people during the reign of Alfmark, but after Athelmere's death she seemed to lose some energy and much more of the administration of the kingdom fell to younger members of the family, including her own son and his descendants. She was eventually forced to intervene in the marriage of her grandson Athelwyr, as his preoccupation with his wife was interfering with his duties as a member of the royal family. In 457 both Atheldynn and Jonas perished during the course of a diplomatic visit to Tzalteclan. By this point Tempest was very old and almost completely disengaged from the process of government, not expected to live much longer. On hearing the news of her brother and son's deaths, however, she commandeered a ship and departed Jarrland, not to be seen again. It is thought she might have shared her intended destination with her surviving son Elwyr, though he refused to disclose it. Her final resting-place is unknown. Legacy and Apotheosis Since her disappearance and probable death, Tempest's popularity has remained high within the kingdom. She and Athelmere are widely considered the "ideal couple" and invoked as models for newlyweds. Especially in the naval establishment, Tempest is a popular namesake for new developments. The effective capital of Tempestia is Grantham, named after her family, while in the late fifth century the Queen Tempest Naval Academy opened in Tuhiland. Her daughter Ambryn favoured the ship Furious Tempest, one of the finer ships in the royal navy. Statues of Tempest are probably the most numerous throughout the Kingdom of the Carmine Sea next to statues of the kings themselves. During a critical naval battle in the Sunset War, a woman matching Tempest's description is said to have appeared on the Carmine flagship and, together with a male companion resembling Athelmere, led the crew to victory.http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18715928&postcount=945 Issue By Athelmere, Tempest had four children: *Atheldynn (393 - 457), atheling from 434 - 457, married Adrianna Caercia and had two children. *Ambryn (b.397), twin sister of Eirwynn, married Qzare Li Tailong and had eight children. *Eirwynn (397 - 500), twin sister of Ambryn, married Hazael Toranath of Ashenia and had seven children. *Elwyr (401 - 480), known as the Blessed, succeeded as king in 463. Died unmarried. References Category:Characters Category:Islanders Category:Characters of Telluris